Claritas Fossae

Claritas Fossae
Claritas Fossae as seen by HiRISE. Note the steep scarp.
Coordinates	31°30′S 104°06′W / 31.5°S 104.1°W / -31.5; -104.1Coordinates: 31°30′S 104°06′W / 31.5°S 104.1°W / -31.5; -104.1
v · d · e

Claritas Fossae is a trough in the Phoenicis Lacus quadrangle of Mars, located at 31.5 S and 104.1 W. It is 2,050.0 km long and was named after a classical albedo feature name.^[1]

Long narrow depressions on Mars are called fossae. This term is derived from Latin; therefore fossa is singular and fossae is plural.^[2] Troughs form when the crust is stretched until it breaks. The stretching can be due to the large weight of a nearby volcano. Fossae/pit craters are common near volcanoes in the Tharsis and Elysium system of volcanoes.^[3] A trough often has two breaks with a middle section moving down, leaving steep cliffs along the sides; such a trough is called a graben.^[4] Lake George, in northern New York State, is a lake that sits in a graben.

See also

• Fossa (geology)

• Geology of Mars

References

1. ^ http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov
2. ^ http://www.marsartgallery.com/marsnames.html
3. ^ Skinner, J., L. Skinner, and J. Kargel. 2007. Re-assessment of Hydrovolcanism-based Resurfacing within the Galaxias Fossae Region of Mars. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII (2007)
4. ^ http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_008641_2105